芈月传
Economist explores human stories behind development_我的网站
一 |
Zhou Jiang, a researcher at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, has a favorite book: White Deer Tableland or Bai Lu Yuan by renowned writer Chen Zhongshi.
As vice president of the Regional Science Association of China (RSAC), Zhou told the Global Times that a lifetime of reading has profoundly shaped the way he sees and understands the world. It ultimately led him to a career in research and academia, where he teaches and pursues scholarly work.
Since earning his PhD in economics in 2000, he has devoted himself to the study of regional science and economics, a field that demands a constant crossing of disciplinary boundaries, drawing on the fields of geography, sociology, history, and ecology among others.
"Reading has kept alive my sense of curiosity and taught me to ask questions with patience and persistence: Where do disparities in regional development come from? How do policies affect different groups in society? And how can a region pursue both efficiency and equity so that development is not merely effective, but also imbued with a greater sense of humanity and warmth?" Zhou noted.
Founded in 1991, RSAC is a national academic society dedicated to advancing domestic and international academic exchange and cooperation, providing consulting services on spatial planning, urbanization, and regional development, and offering intellectual support for China's modernization drive.
The 57-year-old researcher noted that reading has empowered him in two distinct ways.
"The first is discernment. When confronted with a complex issue, I try not to settle for a simple conclusion. Instead, I make an effort to understand its broader context, how it has unfolded, and the perspectives of the different people involved," he said.
"The second is a sense of inner steadiness. Setbacks are an inevitable part of both life and work. Good books remind us that hardship is never ours alone to bear; countless people before us have faced circumstances more difficult than our own, made difficult choices, and found the strength to carry on. Reading cannot solve every problem for us, but it can help us remain calm when challenges arise, giving us the clarity and resilience that allow us not to panic or give up too easily," he said.
Historical depth
Each time Zhou returns to the White Deer Tableland, he finds something different in its pages.
"When I first read it as a young person, I was drawn primarily to the characters and the twists and turns of their lives. Later, as I began researching regional economics, I found myself paying closer attention to the changes in the land, the countryside, families and social order presented in the story. Now, approaching 60, I have come to appreciate more deeply the choices the characters make, the constraints they face, and the quiet perseverance they show amid the sweeping currents of their times," he said.
White Deer Tableland uses Bai Lu village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a microcosm, tracing the feuds and intertwined fortunes of three generations of the Bai (literally meaning white) and Lu families. Through their stories, it captures more than half a century of sweeping historical change, from the final years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1970s and 1980s. The novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China's top literature awards, in 1997.
Zhou prefers literary works with historical depth and a keen eye for social change.
Regional economics may appear to be concerned with the spatial distribution of industries, population and resources, but at its heart, it is about how people live on a particular piece of land, and why some places flourish while others decline, he noted.
In this sense, literature and history are more than pastimes beyond professional research. They often help him understand the historical context, cultural traditions and social mentality that lie behind economic data, he said.
When reading novels, Zhou said that he often pays close attention to the relationship between people and the places they inhabit: How the land shapes the local character, how transportation transforms a region, and how shifts in industry reshape families and villages. Such details may not offer a direct conclusion, but they broaden a researcher's perspective. They also serve as a reminder that research should look beyond growth rates and statistical indicators to consider the sense of fulfillment experienced by ordinary people and the dignity of human beings.
Understanding ourselves
Once, while tidying his study, he came across a book filled with notes he had scribbled in his early years. Among them was a question that particularly caught his attention: "In the face of sweeping changes in the times and profound social transformation, what can a person truly determine for himself?"
Looking at those words he had written in his youth was like coming face to face with the person he had been decades ago.
Reading is not simply the act of understanding a book; it is also a record of a person's own growth, he said. The same book can reveal something entirely different when read at different stages of life.
When we are young, we turn to books in search of answers; but when we become seasoned, we read more to understand life, to understand others, and ultimately, to better understand ourselves, Zhou said.
In this era of fragmented information, AI can help people access information quickly, organize materials, and gain a basic understanding of unfamiliar fields. Yet deep reading, Zhou said, allows people to see how a conclusion is reached — what evidence supports it, where its boundaries lie, and what alternative interpretations it may invite.
What truly shapes a person, after all, is not how much information they have browsed, but the words that have made them pause and reflect - and the words that have remained with them for many years, he added.
。 8月13日，大名县博荣工艺品有限公司生产车间里一派繁忙景象。有的工人在用缝纫机缝合草编部件，有的为草帽、手提包加装彩条、内衬等配件，一件件草编工艺品在工人们的手下渐渐成型。
8月13日，大名县“一品一播”跨境电商产业园草编展台前，两名消费者在挑选草编制品。
二 | 大名草编是国家级非物质文化遗产，产品有草帽、草垫等多个品类，远销日本、韩国、欧美、中东等国家和地区。日报记者 陈 正摄“这批货是南非客户今年追加的订单，价值近百万元。”该公司总经理朱敬起表示，有了跨境电商产业园的支持，企业的海外订单越来越多了。
三 | 今年5月，大名县跨境电商产业园投运，做草编制品出口生意的博荣公司是首批入园企业。
四 | “园区为草编企业提供跨境电商全链条服务，帮助企业拓展了出海通道。”朱敬起介绍，该公司参加了园区的系统培训，为适配外贸订单快出货、出好货的要求，公司引进草帽机、定型机等十余台设备，结合电脑刺绣和喷绘工艺，将单顶草帽生产时间缩短至2分钟，效率大幅提升，跨境电商业务做得风生水起。大名草编是国家级非物质文化遗产，以天然优质小麦莛秆为原料，经拔莛、浸泡、掐辫等十几道工序精制而成，产品有草帽、草垫等多个品类，远销日本、韩国、欧美、中东等国家和地区。目前全县草编企业、家庭作坊有90余家。
五 | 博荣公司以来料加工为主，订单主要依赖展会、外贸公司等传统渠道，不仅利润微薄，且受关税调整等外部因素影响较大。做跨境电商是该公司转型突围的路径之一。“像博荣公司一样，许多企业有做跨境电商的意愿，却不懂注册流程、不会筛选合适的平台，缺乏运营经验。”大名县跨境电商专班负责人吴士超说，“园区提出零基础学跨境电商，根据草编企业的不同特点，制定了‘海创计划’，从产品适网化改造、品牌推广，到海外平台对接、海外仓布局，给予企业全链条支持。”今年7月，通过产业园牵线，博荣公司与南方一家具备海外仓运营能力的企业达成合作，产品通过阿里巴巴国际站、亚马逊等平台直连海外消费者。“根据海外仓和平台反馈数据，我们迅速调整产品设计与生产，拿下了更多订单。”朱敬起说，目前公司正谋划开展自营出口贸易，从“借船出海”转向“造船远航”。大名以跨境电商产业园为载体，聚焦草编、毛绒玩具两大特色产业，通过设立电商产业发展专项资金、打造跨境电商“服务超市”等举措，整合政务、物流、金融、人才等服务要素，推动跨境电商发展。产业园将入驻企业划分为初创、成长、领航三个梯队，从运营培训、物流仓储，到海外商标注册、跨境平台资源对接，“一企一策”为企业提供全周期“陪跑”服务，直至企业稳定出单。跨境电商赋能草编产业加速转型。今年上半年，全县共培训草编行业跨境电商经营人才209人，新增草编产业跨境电商企业4家。（日报记者 陈 正）。
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